Fifteen of Europe’s biggest clubs are in talks to launch a European Super League, scheduled to begin in the 2023-24 season, with a $ 6 billion fund supporting the project, sources said. ESPN.
If the initiative is successful, it would threaten the existence of the Champions League, the most important football club competition, and UEFA will announce on Monday a new format of 36 teams for the tournament designed to prevent attempts to break away from the teams. parting.
As reported by “The Times”, the English high clubs Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are among the 11 European teams that have signed up for the Super League plan.
A person familiar with the plan said ESPN that the proposed framework involves a total of 20 teams, with 15 permanent members who cannot be demoted.
Another five teams will rotate in and out of competition, depending on performance, but permanent members will include six clubs in the Premier League, three in La Liga, three in Italian Serie A, two in the Bundesliga and one in the Ligue. France. .
Sources told ESPN that JP Morgan investment bank in New York will finance the project, with $ 6 billion distributed as loans to teams.
Under pressure from the European Club Association, UEFA has drawn up plans to reshape the Champions League format, with the new competition set to be unveiled on Monday ahead of this week’s UEFA Executive Committee summit in Switzerland.
UEFA criticized the plans in a statement, saying: “UEFA, the English Football Federation and the Premier League, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and LaLiga, and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Serie A League have learned that English, Spanish and Italian clubs could plan to announce the creation of a so-called closed Super League.
“If this happens, we want to reiterate that we, UEFA, the English Football Federation, RFEF, FIGC, Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A League, but also FIFA and all our member associations, will remain united. In our efforts to stop this cynical project, a project that is based on the self-interest of a few clubs at a time when society needs solidarity more than ever.
“We will consider all the measures at our disposal, at all levels, both judicial and sports, to prevent this. Football is based on open competitions and sporting merits, it can’t be otherwise.
“As announced by FIFA and the six federations, the clubs in question will not be able to play in any other competition at national, European or global level, and their players could be deprived of the opportunity to represent their national teams.
“We thank clubs in other countries, especially French and German clubs, for refusing to join. We call on all football fans, supporters and politicians to join us in the fight against such a project. to be announced. This persistent interest of a few has been happening for too long. Is enough”.
Scheduled to take effect in 2024, the redesigned Champions League will involve 36 teams playing 10 group games instead of six. Larger clubs would also receive a larger share of the prizes.
Sources told ESPN that UEFA intends to continue the announcement on Monday and that any separatist league remains a distant prospect and that UEFA and FIFA’s national associations must approve the proposal.
Meanwhile, Serie A convened a meeting of the emergency commission on Sunday to discuss a report in the newspaper that says the DAZN broadcaster is involved in new plans for the separatist league, a source told Reuters.
The meeting was convened by the president of the league, Paolo Dal Pino, and the Italian newspaper “Corriere dello Sport” reported that DAZN, owned by Access Industries of billionaire Len Blavatnik, has been working for some time to form the league.
The report claims that he participates in the meeting from a distance, with the three clubs from Serie A that could be part of the new project: Juventus, Inter Milano and AC Milan.
FIFA has previously said that players registered in any separatist European Superliga will be banned from playing in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.
A tumultuous week for Serie A ends after seven clubs filed a written request for Dal Pino to resign over issues, including managing his plans to sell a stake in the league’s media business.
Plans to expand the Champions League will also face opposition from fans; ESPN reported last week that fan groups have already been outraged by UEFA’s proposed changes.